The Hershey Bears lost 4-1 to the Hamilton Hammers on Wednesday night at GIANT Center in the first meeting between the two teams this regular season. Hershey entered the game with an 8-6-0-0 record, while Hamilton entered at 5-9-0-2.
Hamilton Hammers Overcome Early Hershey Lead
Bogdan Trineyev gave the Hershey Bears a 1-0 lead at 6:08 of the first period with his fifth goal of the season. Quinn Finley tied the game for the Hamilton Hammers at 10:10 of the second period, sending the teams into the third period tied 1-1.
Pierre Engvall put Hamilton ahead with a power-play goal at 11:56 of the third period. Before the Bears could pull goaltender Mitch Gibson for an extra attacker, Robby Fabbri scored at 18:50 for his first goal as a member of the Hamilton Hammers.
Matt Luff added an empty-net goal at 19:36 to complete the scoring. Hamilton recorded 26 shots on goal, while Hershey finished with 35, but Vítek Vaněček stopped 34 of 35 shots for the Hammers and was named the game’s First Star.
Vítek Vaněček Shines in Return to GIANT Center
Vítek Vaněček started in goal for the Hamilton Hammers in his return to GIANT Center. The former Hershey Bears netminder appeared at the venue for the first time since playing in a game with Hershey on Feb. 27, 2022, against Utica.
Mitch Gibson stopped 22 of 25 shots for the Hershey Bears. Hershey went 0-for-1 on the power play, while Hamilton went 1-for-2.
Matt Strome appeared in his 200th career game with the Hershey Bears. Hershey is scheduled to host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center as the team continues the 2026-27 season presented by Penn State Health.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
The Hershey Bears held the shot advantage but could not generate enough offense against Vítek Vaněček. The game remained tied until Pierre Engvall’s third-period power-play goal, and Hamilton added two late goals to turn a one-goal game into a three-goal victory.
Source: Original report
